Risk
by LLSmoothJ
Summary: For Zaratan's Cheerleader Tales contest. One cheerleader must perfect a difficult technique or risk losing it all!


_Here's my entry for Zaratan's Cheerleader Tales contest! As usual, I don't own anything!_

* * *

As the door quickly slammed shut, pairs of eyes looked around as, like a bullet firing from the barrel of gun, the white Ford Explorer dashed off from the building. Her finger quickly pressed down a notch before pulling on a hatch. Once she saw that the door was secure, "How long…"

"Barely…" Was all the driver had said, focusing on the road ahead as its new passenger let out a sigh of relief. Now secure in the car, she spotted behind the driver's seat a royal and orange gym bag as she began to undo her laces…

**Middleton High School – Gymnasium**

"Ugh…" Bonnie Rockwaller couldn't believe it. It wasn't that long before the Regional Cheer-offs began and they weren't ready to start! Everyone else managed to show up on time, why couldn't she? By all rights she should just get her kicked off the squad. However, _she_ wouldn't allow it to happen.

Turning around, she saw the others getting ready. Liz and Crystal were helping each other with stretching exercises. Hope and Marcella, the famously-dubbed "Cheer Twins," were giving each other massages. And now she was stuck making sure that everything was in order. She knew that it was Kim's job, but she knew that one day she'd screw up. And that, she vowed, would be the day she'd would show the world why she, not Possible, should be Squad Captain.

…

"Why didn't I wear the zipper ones?" She tried to utilize her long nails as best as she could, but it was no use. Within her haste to remove the knot, she made a common error in untying: No matter how simple it seemed, always watch what you're doing. You may end up making one knot into an even tighter one. This, needless to say, was one of those times. She knew she shouldn't have gone with this! She knew she could've done this later! But she just had to go along and do it anyway, despite the advice from those close to her. And here she was. In the back seat dealing with the unrelenting knot that refused to be undone! Letting out a silent groan from her lips, she grabbed elevated rubber sole of the boot with one hand and her knee with the other as she began to put years and years of perfecting her own flexibility to use. As the knot moved closer, she opened her mouth just wide enough for the canine to touch the little black nuisance.

As if a delicacy was being devoured, her teeth continuously clench together with the knot in between, as brows began to narrow, showing clear frustration. As if it were a miracle, she felt the tooth manage to get between the overlapping fibers. Pulling her head back and her held leg forward, slowly but surely she felt the knot becoming looser and bigger as in an instant, the lace was finally undone.

With a slight grunt, she pulled off a knee-length boot. As fashionable as they were, one of the huge problems with wearing laced boots was that they had to be untied and loosened to pull off, making it difficult for a quick change. The only thing worse than laced boots were knee-high laced boots and thigh-high laced boots were the worst of all! Reaching under her skirt, she firmly griped on the elastic before pulling them down.

As her smooth legs were liberated from their netted casing she reached backward, feeling for the zipper that would make her current quest easier. To think that being a cheerleader, one would be expected to be flexible, but she couldn't even look back to see if she was even near it! Lovely… From the smooth, yet bumpy line her fingers grazed, at least she knew that she was on the right track – both literally and figuratively. Within a few more inches, she felt the small piece of metal that kept her in her leather and lace bonds.

"How's it going back there?"

"Rough, that's what!" Knowing well what was on the line, she quickly pulled down the zipper. However, she felt it just slip through her slightly-moist fingers. Cursing, she once again grabbed the elusive zipper. As she felt the material loosening, she could feel sweat dripping down her back. Luckily, they were much easier to unzip than they were to zip up. However, she felt once again her finger slip right off the cursed piece of metal. "Damn it…" Once again, she regain her grip as she continued, however, it wouldn't budge….

"Not now… Please not now…" She tried it again and again, but still it stayed in the same place. She let out a frustrated groan. This couldn't be happening to her. Not her! This just _had_ to be on the same day, the same freaking day! Why couldn't the Cheer-offs be on a different day, like Tuesday? That seemed to be a day that wouldn't have anything of importance. Yeah, there was Wednesday and Thursday, but they were also important days as far as she was concerned. Within the fourth tug, she felt it slip once more, but this time she felt the back of her bra snapping onto her skin. "Oh for the-You can't be serious…"

…

"The crowd seems to be pumped…" Hope Martinez observed the masses on the bleachers from the door of their locker room. From the side of her face, to her neck, she could feel sweat running down in anticipation.

"I know, Hope! But we got this in the bag!" Marcella Hernandez boasted, feeling as if they've already won the trophy. "None of those other teams have anything on us!"

"Even Upperton?"

"Especially Upperton!" With a flip of her hair, the Latin beauty continued, "I mean all they have is just blonde-haired, one-dimensional snobs without any soul in their cheerleading. The Lowerton Lemurs just have inner-city trash from the streets. Us, on the other hand, we have a little bit of everything for everyone! You and I make up the Exotic Connection, Bonnie has that dominance those S&M lovers like. Liz has that fiery personality and Crystal has the brains. Jessica and Tara are our blonde bombshells! And we have Kim…" She smirked, feeling that Kim's popularity alone spoke for itself, "Need I say more?"

"That's right!" As if her fears and concerns were instantly extinguished from her friend's words, Hope licked her lips. Now she felt she could already taste the sweet victory they would bring in the competition! "Who's first anyway?"

"Upperton, then Lowerton, and then finally us!" Marcella extended her arms, "We're so going to steal the show!"

Hope high-fived her "twin," "You know that's right! There's no way we can lose to them… That is, if everyone's here…"

Marcella just sighed, "You're telling me… ¿Dónde el infierno es ella?"

"You said it…" Hope rolled her eyes, "Why is she always late?"

…

Banging her head against the leather seat, she tried to pull it down, despite the zipper apparent preference of the back strap of her bra for company. As she looked at the car's clock, time was running out. "Screw it…" She grabbed the cups as she pulled with all she could. Her teeth grinding together, pulling to free her from her despised, restricting bonds! She wouldn't be getting any help. The only one who could was driving, and stopping would just make her later than she already was.

All of her muscles tensing, down to her toes curling, she tried once again to get it open, pushing as hard as she could. Screaming to the top of her lungs in order to get this blasted thing off!

"Having trouble back there?"

"Trouble is putting it lightly!" Within another push, she heard a small snap as she saw her breasts dropped down, seeing that there wasn't anything holding them up anymore. Sighing, she moved her arms through the two sets of straps before pulling it overhead. "I'll fix it later…" Discarding the now-damaged dress and bra, she grabbed the golden handle of her bag as she tried to do the impossible…

…

"Alright, we're heading out now!"

Tara Dupree blinked at Bonnie's decision. Shouldn't they at least try to buy some time to wait until everyone was here? "But-"

"I don't' care, Tara!" The brunette flipped her layered locks, "I'm so sick and tired that every time, whether it's a cheering competition, a game, or whatever, something comes up that prevents her to grace us with her presence! I mean, it's unprofessional, irresponsible, and above else disrespectful!"

"But we need-"

"Then we'll just have to do it without her!" Bonnie shook her head, "I swear if we lose this, I'm so getting her off the squad!" _This_ was why she should be Squad Captain.

…

"Where are they…" She had to make sure they were the right socks. If there was any fraction of an error, it was over. They had to be in sync with everything, moves, cheers, tone of voice… Everything! Especially the uniform! As she felt cotton, she pulled it out, only to find a pair of white socks. She discarded them, "Damn it all…"

"I know you're running late, but try not to make a mess in the back!"

"You keep driving, I keep dressing!" This time, she managed to find the right pair as she separated them. As she felt the soft orange cotton covering her toes, she saw from the window a sign…

**Welcome to Middleton**

"Not good…" Her socks on, she reached in to pull out another article of her attire. Sticking her legs through the holes of her shorts, she knew that the school wasn't very far from here. And with her luck, or lack thereof, the Cheer-offs was already starting!

…

"_That was the Lowerton Lemurs Cheerleading Squad! Now, Ladies and Gentlemen! Help me introduce the Middleton Mad Dog Cheerleading Squad!"_

As the team prance onto the polished floor, Bonnie continued to look onward. Perhaps it was with a small shine of hope or maybe it was just wishful thinking, but maybe she was thinking of making a surprise entrance, just to shock the crowd. Or better yet, to steal her thunder! But she would have to face facts: She was pulling a no show. This meant that they would have to adjust their routine to fit the situation… Behind her smiles and upbeat attitude was righteous fury and anger, ready to be unleashed on that no-showing… 'You don't show up now, you better not show up later…'

…

She tied the orange laces of her white sneaker as she could see the sign of the school, "Unlocked the door!"

"What? Are you-"

"Just slow down and unlock the door!" Moving to put on her white sneaker on her other foot, she didn't understand the reluctance! It was so simple they've already done it plenty of times: The car would slow down and she'd open the door, jump out, and head for the gym! She knew how to roll out of a moving vehicle without getting hurt! That just came with the territory.

"Fine…" With a foot steadily pressing onto the brakes, its speed began to gradually decrease as the door opened… Utilizing as much athleticism as she could, she tumbled onto the sidewalk as she finished tying the laces. The pain from her back ignored from the adrenaline flowing within her, she quickly rose to her feet. Feeling as if she was in the fourth quarter, fourth and long with only 30 seconds on the clock in a football game, she opened the large double doors before breaking off into the sprint of her life!

…

Her blue eyes watching as the girls got into formation, despite the obvious turn of events, Bonnie had to admit, this was a shot at opportunity. With them short a person they would only be enough for one person on top! With everyone too worried with making up for the obvious slack, Bonnie, meanwhile, would see this finally her chance where she should've always been: On top! Everyone holding a sturdy foundation, Bonnie could taste the glory, the fame, the overall attention she would get from the crowd…

…

"Almost there…" Running as fast as her long legs would allow, she could hear the loud music playing. Dreading the worst, she tried to increase movement as much as her legs would allow. Knuckles white, palms sweating, heartbeat beating rapidly, thoughts entered her head. What if they lost let alone because of her? What would she say? What could she say? She couldn't be there because of a mission that just came up? She scoffed at the thought. Yeah right…

Along the way, she gained the odd looks of several girls nearby. Seeing that some of them were dressed in dark-colored cheer outfits and the others in light, her worst fears were realized. "Damn it all…"

…

Everything was in place! The playback was almost done, the girls were secured in their position, and the spotters were in place. The taste of glory flirted with her as Bonnie prepared to make her move. And this time, there was no way Miss Perfect would be stealing her thunder! However, at the sound of doors opening, her eyes went wide. 'Oh no…' Turning around, she found her hands placed under a white rubber sole as she felt herself pushing up its owner, who managed to launch herself into a double axel before landing on Hope and Marcella's shoulders! The music now stopping, she watched as she was in her limelight, hearing her cheers, in her spot! It took everything within her to keep Canada from hearing her scream as furious as she was! Sure it really got the crowd going, but still… 'Not again!'

As much as she was smiling in front of the crowd, on the inside she let out a huge sigh of relief. What was thought to be impossible, she managed to get done. And she managed to impress the other cheer squads as well! Now, all she could do now was to rest and relax. Who knew, maybe they could actually win!

…

"That was awesome!"

"Way to go!"

"You really had us going there!"

"I thought you weren't gonna make it!"

Like a water fountain the praises continued to pour in. Pats on the back, complements, idolizations, marriage proposals… Okay, maybe not that. But still, it was enough for her to be happy. She managed to do what she wanted to do and at the same time, judging by the crowd, they had a good chance of winning! However, she noticed two people who weren't singing her praises: Bonnie, of course, was sulking in a corner, muttering about how she "stole her thunder," and there was Tara, who was more focus on her head… or what was on top… "Tara, are you okay?"

She quickly nodded, "I'm just wondering…"

"Go ahead," She felt that there wasn't anything in the world that could bring her down after managing to pull off the mission of the century.

"Why do you have a maid's headband on your head?"

Just as those words filled her ears, shock filled her eyes, 'Oh no…' She didn't think it was what she thought, was it? It couldn't have happened to her, could it?

"Yeah, and what's with the cat ears?" She heard another, Marcella, ask.

"Were you at a costume party or something?"

"Yeah, what's the deal?"

Hearing these unwanted questions, her hand slowly move through her long tresses before feeling an ear. From the furry feeling on her fingers, her expression changed for the worse. 'Oh no…' She moved it further, feeling vinyl and lace. 'Not this…' And to think it was all going so well…

**Two Hour Later**

"Great… Just great…" Hands covering her face, her sigh showed her frustration. One would think that after winning the competition they would get off her back, but no! When it came to the cheer squad, they never let anything go…

"How'd it go?" Ron Stoppable took a seat near, but not too close, to the downed cheerleader.

"Which part: The 30 minutes of grilling or the 30 minutes of teasing?" Within her fist she clenched the headband that contained those cursed ears. Those humiliatingly cursed ears…

He winced, "That brutal, huh?"

"I was hoping that they'd be more lenient seeing that we've won and all!" He brought the head of the Mad Dog costume closer to him, "And to think, all of that just for some anime convention!" From her eyes he felt dagger piercing into his soul.

"This wasn't just some convention! They had an exact replica of Squall Leonheart's Gunblade that they were giving away in a drawing! Not some lame miniature-sized version, either! It was at actually size! Hello, once in a lifetime opportunity!"

"And considering that there were a lot of people who'd want that, did you win it?"

"Like hell I did," She shook her head, "I can believe I lost to that kid who was on a TV screen on the robot!"

Ron blinked, having a sense of déjà-vu, "What robot?"

"Some robot showed up on its own, paid the entrance fee, and just mingled with everyone." Her fingers rubbed the sides of her forehead, "If I didn't know any better, I'd say the guy who was on the screen was operating it from his house."

"It's from his room, actually!"

She turned towards the blonde, staring at him intensely, "You mean you actually know that guy?"

A smirk escaped his lips, "You could say that!"

"Well if you see him walking down the street could you give him a kick right up there for me?"

Ron scoffed, "You'll have a better chance seeing the apocalypse first before he'll even step out of his room."

"…You mean he never leaves his room?" Ron's nod was all the confirmation needed, "That'll really help his social life."

"Speaking of social life, they must've really torn into ya, huh?"

"It was just harmless fun, but still… Now by Monday the whole school will be calling me 'Kitty Kat Jessy.' At least Kim and Tara were more understanding. As for Bonnie, she was still ranting about how I, 'That blonde-haired freckled hussy' stole her thunder." She let out a smile, "Thanks for understanding, Ron. Even though you're used to ridicule by now…"

He shrugged, "I just do what I can. I try to help those who need it."

"And you thought I needed help?"

He waved it off, "The head in your hands thing was what tipped me. Not to mention the groans… I have to ask, you risked the Cheer-Offs as well as your popularity to go to an event dressed in Catgirl/Gothic Maid hybrid, solely for something that you didn't even win! And now word of your 'dirty little secret' is gonna spread though out school! Was it worth it?"

'Good question…' She had been preparing for months to go to the anime convention in Upperton. A week ago she had her entire outfit planned. After all, who didn't like Cat girls? She would've gone as a Kitty School Girl, but that's been done too much so Gothic Kitty Maid was the way to go. Too bad she didn't remember the Regional Cheer-offs was on that same weekend. Driven by the chance of owning a replica of one of the most popular weapons in the entire Final Fantasy Universe, she decided to go against the odds, just for the chance of owning a real-life Gun Blade. Then she had to all but yell at her sister to get her to the school as fast as she could while she tried to master the art of quickly changing clothes. Still, after all that, even when she didn't cause the squad to lose, but won by her how she appeared and got on top of the pyramid, they still found out about her passion. Her _true_ passion. In the end, all she had to show for it was a dress containing a ruined zipper stuck onto a bra, an annoyed sister who wouldn't be excited to do her any favors anytime soon, and by Monday her reputation would be shot as everyone would be looking at her very differently. She could already hear the meows and other "cute" jabs.

Within a deep breath and a sense of clarity, as if a heavy burden was lifted from her back, Jessica Munroe smiled at the blonde boy, "Yes… Yes it was."

* * *

For those who don't speak in Spanish…

_¿Dónde el infierno es ella?_ - Where the hell is she?


End file.
